Disney’s Netflix rival a ‘Very expensive endeavor,’ analyst says

After discussing how the press is covering poverty in France and hunger in Africa, we lighten things up (a bit) with how social media has found a new, favourite young whistleblower and a buzzing TV show, "Emily in Paris".

Oloture is the story of a young, naive Nigerian journalist who goes undercover to expose the shady underworld of human trafficking.

Crowds flock to Taipei's annual Christmas Land lights festival, featuring Disney-themed 3D mapping projections and colourful lighting installations. Taiwan is one of the few places in the world that has not imposed lockdowns during the pandemic. Now in its 10th year, Christmas Land is Taiwan's largest Christmas lights festival, attracting more than 6 million visitors last year.

With movie premieres remaining up in the air due to the pandemic, Netflix decided to drop the names of every film they’ll release this year.

The success of the "Lupin" series on Netflix is reviving public interest in Maurice Leblanc's novels about the gentleman burglar. "The book that we see very regularly in the hands of Omar Sy and his son in the series is already out of print," says the manager of a bookshop on the outskirts of Paris.

Disney's shares have rallied after the company reported better than expected results for its latest quarter. Sales came in at €16.2 billion, down 22 percent from the previous year, amid a continuing hit from the pandemic. But its streaming business Disney+ is continuing to grow as people stay home for longer, offsetting losses made at its theme parks that have suffered months of shutdown. Plus, as dining out is not an option for many couples this Valentine's Day, a handful of hotels in Brussels are offering quality time and fancy dinners for two – in guest rooms.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Sunday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Sunday.⁣

It's not just boy meets girl but also Bollywood meets Nollywood in a film released by Netflix on Valentine's Day, and created by an Indian-Nigerian restaurateur.

Madonna is set to release a Netflix documentary featuring extensive footage from her troubled Madame X tour, according to new reports.

Imagine working for a company where you don't have to apply for holiday time or seek prior approval for expenses. Imagine giving feedback to your boss – in public! Imagine being trusted to make major decisions without clearance from line managers. The flipside? If you perform anything less than excellently, you lose your job. Freedom and "talent density" are the two key ingredients of Netflix's corporate culture. The formula has driven the company from a humble DVD rental service 20 years ago to one of the world’s most successful entertainment corporations.

Shares in Netflix plunged by almost nine percent in after-hours trading on Wall Street on Tuesday, after the streaming giant announced a major slowdown in subscriber growth. Netflix added just four million new customers in the first three months of 2021, compared to 16 million in the same period last year. The company is hoping that new seasons of hit shows like "Sex Education" will help boost growth later this year. Also today, we hear how French employers are struggling to recruit seasonal workers for this summer.

U.S. streaming service Netflix has bought two Cameroonian films, including a drama about a young Cameroonian girl determined to go to school.